Americans need win today to save softball series

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32222, 14 February 1970, Page 9

Americans need win today to save softball series

'THE Arizona AH Stars * softball team will take the field at English Park today with little apparent chance of upsetting NewZealand's dominance of the series so far. but its players will be determined to refute the general criticisms of some of their displays With a comfortable 3-0 win in the first test at Auckland and an even more convincing 7-0 moral victory in the abandoned second test at the Hutt Recreation Ground last weekend, the New Zealand players could scarcely be blamed for being complacent about toeir chances today. But with the fourth and fifth official test matches to be played at Auckland tomorrow, the Arizonans can

still achieve a 3-1 victory in the series if they win each of the remaining games. New Zealand’s starting line-up will almost certainly include several players who will be meeting the wily visitors for only the

first or second time. These are G. W. Tattersfleld (Southland), the amazing spin pitching veteran of two world series, and A. Pennicott (Southland) and C. I. Chee (Canterbury), both of whom are making their debuts in the national colours. They are also the only South Island players in the squad. If Tattersfleld starts the game ahead of K. F. Herlihy (Wellington), he might not be able to dominate the Arizonans to the same extent as did the speed pitchers, Herlihy, at Auckland, and J. D. Dawson (Hutt Valley) last weekend.

It will be unfortunate if spectators do not get the opportunity to see Herlihy in action for at least part of the game, for he thrilled a crowd in excess of 3000 with his 100 mile-an-hour pitching and also hit two home runs (one of them on errors) in Wellington’s 8-2 thrashing of the visitors last Saturday. The Arizonans’ batting has proved to be inconsistant, but W. Howell, who is the team’s best catcher, J. Cordova, a nephew of Orville Moody, the United State Open golf champion, and N. Wedepohl should serve their team well once again.

New Zealand’s batting strength looks formidable with D. Cheyne (Wellington), T. J. Nunns and D. P.

picture of an American millionaire sportsman proclaiming his country's dominance in all fields ranging from the production of giant airliners to the size of its anthills, Mr Mosbacher was full of praise for the extensive preparations being made in Australia and France for the 1970 cup series. He also applauded the two previous efforts made by Australia to wrest the cup from the United States, by Gretel in 1962 and Dame Pattie in 1967. Mr Mosbacker skippered Weatherly and Intrepid, respectively, in the successful defences of the trophy against the Australians. A man who has travelled an estimated 100,000 miles in the last 12 months, Mr Mosbacher rated the view of the Southern Alps from the air during the flight from Sydney to Christchurch as the most beautiful he had seen. School series The first race of the 1970 Peter Mander Trophy inter - secondary school yachting series will be held at the Waimakariri Sailing Club next Saturday afternoon. The trophy was won last year by the Hagley High School entry, Quest, which proved most consistent by finishing second in each of the first three heats before winning the last. Christchurch Boys’ High School was second overall and the two Linwood High School Junior Cherubs third and fourth. The second race this year will be at Pleasant Point on March 14 and the other two in the first half of next season. New ideas The composition of New Zealand's team to challenge Australia, Britain and possibly France, Japan and the United States for supremacy in the 1971 Southern Cross Cup series appears likely to bear little if any resemblance to the yachts which comprised the two three-boat entries from this country this season. Already four of the New Zealand skippers who competed in the series, which was completed with the Sydney to Hobart classic and won over-all by the

Sorenson (both Hutt Valley) and M. Forsythe (Auckland) all capable of long ball hits. Forsythe, who is a younger brother of the former New Zealand professional champion boxer, Heinie Forsythe, recently hit safely five times in six attempts (including three home-runs) in Auckland’s successful “double-header” of wins against the national champion side, Wellington. If the visitors decide to rest several of their key players for the test later in the afternoon, Canterbury must have an excellent chance of improving upon its record against overseas teams. It beat the San Antonian team, 12-1, in five innings in 1968, and has lost only two (against Hutt Valley, 1-0, and Otago, 7-3) of its 11 games this season. Today’s games against the visitors will be preceded by the South Island finals of the national women’s interclub Dustin Cup championship between Kiwi (Dunedin), Panthers (Invercargill), and the local teams Christchurch West and Monowai. Monowai has won the trophy seven times in the last decade. The men’s teams will be:— Arizona All Stars: H. Brooks, W. Overton, J. Christopherson, Howell, A, Mendibles, D. Watson, J. Russian!, E. Phippen, W. Sumray, Cordova, Wedepohl, T. King, T. Lewis.

New Zealand: Herlihy, Tattersfleld, Nunns, Sorenson (captain), S. Kinghorn (Auckland), Chee, B. McLean (Hutt Valley), Pennicott, Forsythe, B. Nichols (Wellington), Cheyne and L. Barlow (Hutt Valley).

Canterbury: M. A. Reid, J. A. Ballantyne, A. J. W. Prescott, G. Phillips, B. G. McGregor, J. B. Guerrero, K. Thorn, M. Barry, L. A. Scherp, D. Phillips, I. R. Pollock (captain), R. Johnson, M. P. McOscar and D. J. Patterson.

New South Wales No. 1 team, have announced their intentions of obtaining new craft before the next series while a fifth, F. Andrews, will probably add extra weight to the 41ft Roulette II to gain more power. Fidelis, a previous winner of line honours in the Sydney to Hobart event, has been taken across the Tasman for the last time but J. V. Davern is reluctant to disclose what specifications its successor will have. A later version of Panther (I. Lichtenstein), the most modern One Ton Cup boat in New Zealand, will probably be B. Wilson’s follow-up to his present One Tonner, Rebel. J. Lidgard, the ownerskipper of Renegade, was most impressed by the Sparkman-Stephens * 34ft British entries Morning Cloud (the handicap winner of the Hobart race, owned by the British Leader of the Opposition, Edward Heath) and Morning After (R. Hills), and may adopt a similar design. Myth of Arran, skippered by D. Reid, will probably be succeeded by a yacht more favourably rated under the new racing handicap system, possibly with a length of 48 or 49ft. Bad manners The conduct of a cata.maran skipper during the s open class race at the Christchurch club recently I certainly left much to be I desired. 1 The pick-up boats were > being regularly called upon to attend yachtsmen > experiencing difficulty t handling the fresh north- • east conditions. On this 1 occasion a rescue launch’s crew was keeping an eye on two capsized yachts when the catamaran skipper surged through at i speed, shouting abuse at . the officials. He narrowly i missed the launch before i,. striking another official 1 pick-up boat. Fortunately, i neither craft was seriously s damaged. / In addition to his lack i- of appreciation for the s voluntary work done by a these officials and the time 1 given by them to ensure the safety of competitors v and others, the catamaran i- skipper neglected to obit serve the rule that overe taking yachts are obliged c to give way to motor boats e if the latter are stationary.